Chimney sweep and cleaning in Hazel Park

Fireplaces on the west side

We cover Hazel Park west of I-75. If you're east of the freeway, call first.

The oldest part of the city is the street grid between 9 Mile and Woodward Heights Boulevard, laid out between 1900 and 1925. Many of the bungalows on those streets have a wood-burning fireplace, and plenty still get used. The Cape Cods that came after the war are a mixed bag. Some have a fireplace, and some have a chimney that only ever served the furnace and water heater.

What builds up

A wood fire leaves soot and creosote on the flue walls, a little every time. A gas furnace or water heater doesn't leave creosote, but its flue can corrode and scale. The flakes come loose and pile up at the bottom, like the crusted metal pipe in the photo. Enough of that can narrow the flue. On a Cape Cod where the furnace was replaced and the water heater was left in the old flue, we also look for water and loose tile at the base of the chimney. When we sweep, we check every flue in the chimney, the furnace flue included.

Leaves, nests and swifts

Hazel Park was named for the hazelnut bushes that once covered the land. These days the leaves and twigs in the flue come from the street trees, and squirrels and birds use an open flue as a nest. A cap keeps most of that out.

Chimney swifts nest in chimneys from May to August. They're protected by federal law, and the nest has to stay until the young have left. Our guide to chimney swifts covers what to do until then.

Price and timing

A sweep is $349 per flue, with an inspection of the whole chimney on the same visit. Adding a camera down the flue is $75. Book before the first cold weekend. After that, the calls pile up from people who want a fire that night. Our guide on how often to clean a chimney helps you tell when yours is due. If we find loose brick or a cracked crown, our chimney repair page has the Hazel Park prices.